Gov. Jon Corzine’s state budget figure of $29.8 billion doesn’t include $2.2 billion of federal stimulus money. But his tally of $11.4 billion in state aid for education does count it. (See page 42 of 174.)
Without adding that $1.057 billion into the equation, state spending on education is down more than just the $94 million it’s being presented as — and not just reduced to below current FY2009 levels, but also below FY2008.
What’s the fair way to present the budget — with, or without federal stimulus money? Your answer probably depends on your partisan affiliation. It’s worth noting that the Corzine administration does acknowledge in budget footnotes that some charts include the stimulus aid. But they’re also trying to walk a rhetorical tightrope — claiming credit for reducing spending to $29.8 billion by ignoring stimulus cash, while claiming credit for increasing education aid by including it.